Digital welding boosts shipbuilding

Korea’s leading shipbuilder said that the digital welding will be applied gradually starting next year and by 2015 all welding process will be digitalized. The company claims the digital welding process will improve productivity by 20%, reducing manpower hours on welding by 1 million every year which would enable the shipbuilder to build five additional 300,000 dwt VLCCs.

The company said this would also result in an annual cost savings of more than 100 billion won ($86.3 million). The digital welding process standardizes the quality of the welding instead of depending on the individual skills of welders. Information about voltage and electric currents involved in the welding process appears on a LCD display and, according to the company, will enable anyone to become a skilled welding expert irrespective of their past skill and experience. “This is an innovative technology that will change shipbuilding,” said a company spokesman.